Betwixt
by SpaceDoubtVixen
Summary: A small One-Shot of Link leaving Termina, as he says goodbye to his new friends with hopes and fears of the future.


**Disclaimer: All rights to The Legend of Zelda belong to Nintendo. This story is purely for entertainment purposes only, and no monetary profit is gained from said story.**

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**Prologue**

_"Endings are thus formally unappealing to me, more than beginning or ending, in life, I enjoy continuing. Continuing is my only focus or concern." __\- _Brian D'Ambrosio

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It had been quite a while since he had seen that all-too familiar sky. A seemingly endless forget-me-not blue with the faint hue of orchid-pink fading into the reaches of the eastern horizon. Cold grass mottled with dew pressed against his skin, his tunic only just thick enough to prevent the dew from seeping through to his skin. The feeling itself wasn't necessarily pleasant, but a welcome change to what the boy normally felt against him: claws, rocks, and scorching embers were the most common as of late. His eyes had only just opened, and his ears were still adjusting to his sudden new location. But was it truly that sudden? How long had he been lying down in the grass, in what he assumed was a pleasant open field? It wasn't until nearly a minute of staring at the wispy dawn sky, fixated by its seemingly endless stretch, that he turned and saw two glowing orbs hovering nearby. He dismissed the oddities and turned back to the clear patch of blues and pinks that was the sky. Why did it feel so empty?

Like an arrow to the chest it came back to him: the moon, the demon Majora, countless hours spent running through the strange land he had been pulled to by forces he dared not dwell upon. He had defeated Majora, slain yet another monstrosity that had threatened people he had no real connection with, and was once again left with the aftermath to rest upon his shoulder. The burning question that he loathed etched itself into his mind once again.

_What do we do now?_

The sound of fluttering wings distracted him from his sky-gazing momentarily, and his eyes jumped to the floating ball of lights hovering just within his peripherals. And then the orb spoke to him.

"Hey! Are you alive down there? I saw your eye move, don't try and play games now, you! _Hello?!_" Tatl shrieked, bouncing up and down around him with impatience. Despite the agitation in her voice, even in his newly awakened state he could hear that oh-so-atypical hint of worry that betrayed her annoyance.

_Of course, how could I have been so foolish, _the boy thought, reprimanding himself for his lack of coherent thought. He had been a hero, and there was surely consequences for such an action. Whether said consequences were good or bad, that was yet to be seen. It was only when he attempted to stand up and assess the damage however, that he felt the strain of his misadventure on his body. From his blood smeared fingertips that gripped at the grass to hold his composure, to the muscles in his feet that had stiffened from overuse, his body had taken every bit of abuse that had been thrown at it over the past several weeks. The adrenaline of fighting tooth and nail had worn off from his battle, and now the boy was left with the aftermath.

"Are you alright? I can go and look for- Oh!" Tatl's voice cut off as he stood back up and faced her. The fairy looked him up and down, her worried glare turning to a relieved smirk, only to fade back to a look of concern as she truly saw the state he was in. When she had first met the kid, he had been lost, confused, and somewhat terrified. Reasonable feelings given he had been turned into a lowly scrub of the woodlands, all things considered. Tatl recounted the look of pure joy that he expressed at getting his human body back, and now to see him covered in dirt and grime, cuts and scrapes covering his body, it struck a chord within her.

"You idiot, look at what you've gone and done to yourself." The fairy sighed, circling him a few times as she gave him a look over. "Burns along your left arm, looks minor. Eyebrow got singed a little too, sorry. Lots of bruises along your left thigh, probably from the rubble when the floor exploded. And- Goddess above, what happened to your leg?"

The boy turned to peek at his leg. Sure enough a long cut ran along the length of his calf, stretching into his upper thigh. He winced, remembering the whip-like appendages striking his leg in the later half of the battle with a pain so fierce he was almost surprised he hadn't collapsed in the midst of it all. The boy didn't have time to be concerned with it however, there were still things he needed to check. He reasoned if it started burning too bad again he would stop and give it a temporary fix, but for now there was work to be done.

First, he set his sights on the walls of Clock-Town. Old, battered, and most certainly bruised, they still held their ground protecting the town from most minor woodland horrors. The thatched-grass roofs of its buildings still stood peaking over the walls, the town's namesake tower standing over them all like a silent guardian, rather than the cataclysmic timer it had been reduced to. To the boy, this gave him a near conclusive answer to his success, for if the town still stood than surely the rest of the world and its inhabitants did as well, likely peeking through the curtains to see what remained at this very moment, wherever they had fled to.

The sound of a horse whinnying behind him made the boy jump but a little, as he turned and looked upon one of his few companions. Epona, a stalwart steed to the end, looked into his eyes as he reached out and softly ran a hand through her bristling mane, a warm feeling of remembrance flooding through him as memories played through his mind. Though she could speak no words, as he met her eyes he thought as though he could practically feel her telling him, "We made it." In response he buried his head into her pelt and held his arms around her neck, letting out a soft sigh of relief. They had indeed made it, against all odds.

"So... you guys, you really hadn't forgotten about me?" A new voice sniffed. The boy turned again, now watching as both of the fairies turned as well towards the Skull-Kid standing a few yards away from them all, his body visibly shaking. His pointed hat was ripped on several ends and was missing a ring or two from above the brim, but other than that he showed no signs of external damage, something both the boy and the fairies were thankful for. They could not see the Skull-Kid's face, masked from view by his hat and sullen posture, but they did see his hands which had slowly and shakily balled into fists that held their ground. No one was quite sure whether this was a result of anger at his own unbridled arrogance, or sadness at what he had almost unleashed upon a world undeserving.

"All of these things that I've done, has brought nothing but terror and sadness to all who live in Termina." His voice trembled just as his body did. "I deserve to be alone then, I deserve the unhappiness that I felt, because bad people deserve to be punished. So... so being alone is my punishment, right?" He asked to the sky. The boy turned, and with a mighty jolt he realized that the Skull-Kid was not talking to solely him, if even him at all. Rather the four large figures that he had somehow completely overlooked, still towering high above Clock-Town and its walls, were all facing down towards the Skull-Kid, their large yet beady eyes fixated upon him.

Deep down, the boy could feel the anguish and reluctant acceptance emanating from the Skull-Kid's meek feeble voice. Pity filled him as the Skull Kid's voice broke in-between sobs that he was clearly trying to hold back, and he felt his hand slowly reach out towards him to give even the smallest of comforts. But Tatl reached him first, followed closely by her brother.

"Don't be ridiculous!" She chided, floating softly around him as she did so. "You're not a bad person, because..." Her voice faltered as she tried to find a fair reason with herself.

"Because bad people don't feel bad about being bad." Tael added, helping his sister find the right words. This brought a smile to her face as she nodded.

"Yeah, exactly! Besides, we all know you were good beforehand. It was the mask that took advantage of your sadness and, well, manipulated it into something far worse, right? We're still your friends, regardless of what actions it guided you to make."

Their friend did not immediately respond, instead he slowly turned his head, facing towards the boy and mumbled out a single word.

"Friends?"

The boy did not extend his hand again, but he did something he had seldom reason to do for quite a while, and that was smile.

"Friends." He confirmed, his voice raspy and somewhat dry after his time within the moon's realm. He and the Skull-Kid stared at each other for a few seconds, before a loud groaning echoed throughout the air, breaking the silence as it resonated throughout the land. Everyone looked up to see the enormous deities, the facial hair-like foliage that grew along their chins quivering as their voices rang out. It was like that of a beastly roar, but quieter and softer like the calling of an elderly man. Or at least, that's what it reminded the boy of.

Tatl cocked her head, listening closely to the roars for a few seconds until the ceased, at which she turned back to face the Skull-Kid and quietly said, "_Friends, we are now._ I believe that's what they're saying." It brought a warm smile to her face that wasn't spread quite as often as one of arrogance, but it suited her in her own little way as she turned to listen again as the giants gave out another call.

"_Friends, we shall be._" She translated, now transfixed upon the massive beings as they gave out one last call. This one needed no translation however, as their call of the Oath to Order vibrated through the grass and the trees, signaling their departure as they lifted their feet high into the sky and dropped them back down onto the land. They left no craters, no prints, only the wind rushing by to give any indication that they had ever even been there at all. Their oath had been fulfilled, and order had returned to Termina.

The boy watched them go, giving a small wave as they did so, but never taking his eyes off of them. Even throughout his many adventures he had yet to see creatures as tall or, arguably, as magnificent as the giants of Termina. Perhaps he never would. He knew so little about them, who they were, where they resided, where they came from, so many questions he speculated that he would never know the answers to. That was just the type of land that Termina was, a land of mysteries and questions that would intrigue the mind, yet that would never be solved for fear of spoiling said mysteries. _And just maybe_, the boy thought to himself, _maybe that's the way it should be._ Watching the giants finally break cross over the treetops and out of sight, the boy turned his attention his attention to the now sobbing Skull-Kid. Tatl and Tael were doing their best to help dry his tears, a difficult task considering just a single pair of tears could likely fill their hands.

"Come on, don't cry! They forgave you, see? It's alright now, you don't have to worry anymore." Tatl cooed as she used a leaf almost as big as her to wipe away one of the falling tears. Tael was opposite her, sitting on his friend's shoulder and comfortingly patting the side of his head. The boy thought the scene was quite touching, all in all, and politely pretended to focus on patting his steed while Tatl and Tael tended to arguably the biggest victim of Majora's cruelty. After a few minutes of sniffling and occasional apologies, the boy heard the shuffling of feet quickly approaching behind him.

"You saved me, didn't you?" He asked, not waiting for a response as he continued. "Friends are... friends are a nice thing to have. If we are-" The Skull-Kid paused, his face twitching before breaking out into a wide grin. "Eh-hee-hee... that's strange. You have the same smell, the same one as the fairy kid who taught me that song in the woods..." He let out another giggle, and the boy saw Tatl turn towards him with an eyebrow arched upwards. He knew what she was thinking, and it likely mirrored his own thoughts as well. Some part of him thought back to a time before he had been given the title of a hero, before he had risked life and limb day in and day out for people and places he did not know. Back when he and a friend would sit on a wooden log surrounded by a sea of trees, and play a melody that even now he remembered fondly. A melody he taught to a shy Skull-Kid in the thick of the woods. Could it truly be that small of a world, here where nothing was the same yet oh-so familiar? The boy didn't know.

Tatl fluttered forward a tiny bit, and the boy could tell she was about to ask something when another voice spoke up, silencing everyone as they turned to face the source of the voice.

"Ah, so all the evil and power that was in the mask is gone now..." The Happy Mask Salesman mumbled aloud, though his mouth barely seemed to move as he did so, like a ventriloquist. The boy narrowed his eyes, an uneasy feeling slithering up his back as heard what he could swear was disappointment coming from his voice. The Salesman had always struck a surreal chord within the boy, one that did not befit this realm nor any that he had ever ventured to. His sudden movements and still posture were unnatural, his smile seeming to always know more than he ever let on, his laugh always hollow and more like a peculiar instrument than an actual chuckle. It did not help that there was an uncanny resemblance between the Salesman and the children who dwelt within the moon. The boy supposed, as the Salesman turned and bowed to them, that perhaps he was just another one of Termina's mysteries.

"As I said, I am on a strict time limit with my travels, so I must thank you and bid farewell." As he hefted his seemingly overwhelming bag along his shoulders and passed through the small group, the Skull-Kid did not meet his eyes. Neither did the boy, though not for the same reason as his friend. He thought perhaps this was the last he would hear from the mysterious entrepreneur, but instead he turned a few yards from them and stared directly at the boy. He didn't like the stare one bit, however wide the Salesman's grin was.

"Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever... whether that parting be forever or a short time, that is up to you." His lips scarcely moved, and his narrowed eyes bore into the boy like a hunter watching his prey. "Even so, you've seemed to spread quite a bit of happiness during your time here, haven't you? The very masks you have are filled with it, I can tell." The Skull-Kid and his fairy companions had seemed to tune out at the Salesman's words, with the boy noticing them chattering and letting out little giggles occasionally. "I wonder if more people put as much happiness into each other, as you have with those masks, would everyone be happy? Can everyone be happy?" He asked from behind them. His smile still had not faltered as the boy watched his friends begin to smile and tussle around along the grass.

"Can you be happy?"

The boy's eyes shifted, and he turned at these words to look back at the Salesman in an attempt to ask for an explanation as to his words, but there was no Salesman to give one. Like the giants that had already departed without a trace, so too did the mask seller with no footprints nor trampled grass to follow, only the wind rustling through the trees and its leaves. The boy stared off for another second, contemplating the bizarre occurrences that seemed to pile up wherever he went. Another mystery, he supposed. With a final look, he turned back around only to be greeted by none other than his fairy companion who was mere inches from his face.

"Hey, kid. Looks like you finally got your stuff back. And uh, it looks like I finally got my stuff back too." She jerked a thumb behind her to where her brother and the Skull-Kid were laughing like fools. "Which is good, you know? Now I can finally stop flying after you, trying to keep up with all your charades! Do you know how sore my wings are from all this flying? Might have to even give walking a chance with how bad they ache, or get a splint or something." With her arms crossed and a eyebrows furrowed along her face, it would have been easy to assume her words were genuine. But after days upon days of fighting, traveling, and almost dying side-by-side, the boy knew better. The fairy was awful at goodbyes but her feelings were true, and so the words she couldn't bring herself to say were laced behind ones of scorn as a compromise. He knew how she felt, being no stranger to goodbyes himself.

"Anyway, I figured since you _did _save the world and all, I at least owed you something." Tatl waved her hand around as though she had already grown bored of the conversation, which wasn't an unusual occurrence. "So, thanks for all your help, you're our hero and we shall erect a statue of you in honor of your brave deeds and all that fun stuff. Alright there, you got my thanks, so why don't you hit the road you damn mope?" This brought another smile to the boy as he took a step back and leaned against his horse.

"Mope? I suppose it's better than the other ones you've called me. I was almost fond of _kid_ though, it was a lot better than _scrub _or _moron_." He teased with a sly smirk. He thought back to their first argument, when they had first met and were disputing the logistics of being able to fly over a chasm using flower petals. He thought of when he had accidentally called her the name of a different fairy and in return she began calling him a different name every time they spoke. He pictured the end of their first cycle together, as the moon seemed impossible to subdue or even restrain and they stared from below in East Clock-Town. He remembered her slowly turning to him and suggesting they go find somewhere comfy to hold up while the world came to an end so they may enjoy their last moments as best as they could. He hadn't realized just how accustomed he had become to traveling with her, even with her constant chastising having her at his side was so natural and filling that the thought of them departing so suddenly hit the boy harder than he thought it would. To his surprise he felt something welling up inside his chest; something wet began to form at the base of his eyes.

"Well maybe if you'd acted less like a moron I wouldn't- woah, kid are you crying?" Tatl's voice softened as she floated closer. The boy quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and forced a big grin across his scuffed up face, silently grumbling to himself. He hated when he accidentally got emotional, especially in front of people like Tatl who saw it as nothing but embarrassing. Even though she had seen plenty of sides of him already from their adventure already, he wasn't ready to break down right in front of her and the others. He was pretty sure heroes didn't do that kind of thing.

"I guess I'm just so happy I don't have to listen to you whine and moan anymore, that my feelings got the better of me." He teased, sticking a tongue out at his fairy companion. His _former _fairy companion. He suspected she knew all too well what he was hiding, much in the same way she could not say good bye to him, he could not tell her why his emotions had taken such a hold of him. And yet, he suspected that they both knew the reasons behind the other's secrets; Tatl was far from a fool, and the boy was too keen to not suspect the hidden messages behind her words. With a smile that felt far more genuine, he held out his fist towards her and waited.

Tatl rolled her eyes and groaned out, "Such a kid, honestly." but met him with her own tiny fist all the same. As they looked towards each other, the boy could hear the sounds of the townsfolk breaking out from the gate, no doubt looking around to verify that everything was still in one piece much like he had. He even turned to watch for a second as some basked in the sun while others danced and cried with their arms wrapped around each other. It brought a small smile to the boy's face to see that despite all the turmoil and heartache he had witnessed, that the people of Termina could find peace in a new tomorrow. He figured that they deserved at least that much after all Majora had done to them.

Seeing that the people of Clock-Town were happy was all he needed to see. It was with then that the boy turned and climbed aboard his steed who had been patiently waiting for him. He cringed as his right leg brushed against Epona and sent a streak of pain throughout his entire right side. He forced himself to stay steady, but not before repositioning his leg into a far more bearable position.

"You're going? Already?" This time the voice came from the Skull-Kid, who had wandered over with Tael to join their friends. The boy gave a small nod, turning Epona towards the southern woods where Milk Road lay. He could not return home through the way he came, for the underground door which lead to the bizarre and unnatural realm he and Tatl had first traveled through had been sealed shut through means he nor the fairy could break through. He clearly remembered attempting to pry the door open himself, only for Tatl to inform him that even if he could manage to split the door open, he'd likely be met only with a wall of stone and rock. The doors to the "Under-Woods", as Tatl called it, disappeared at their own will and could take months or even years to open up again.

"You're just going to leave?" Tatl butted in. "What about everyone you helped, what about Anju and Kafei's wedding, huh? You can't just bail out on everyone, trot off into the sunset like it's no big deal! Especially not in that state!" A complete turnaround from her previous statements, but it wasn't hard to guess that the reality of her friend leaving had just hit her. As if to cover her own outburst she followed with, "If you're going to be a hero, you could start by at least sticking around to make sure everyone you saved is okay!"

Shaking his head, the boy pointed towards the town behind him. "They're fine. More than fine I suspect. They don't need some little kid wandering around and making sure everything is where it should be. Besides, this is nothing, I've walked off from worse." Part of him did indeed want to stay for a spell, if only to help keep his wounds in check, but he knew if he stayed for a single day that he might find some way to be convinced to stay for a few more. Let his leg rest and fully heal before setting out. Three days would turn into a week, and then a month and so on and so on. The thought of staying with his new friends was altogether enticing, but that was exactly why he had to refuse.

"Well, we're going to miss you, you know." The Skull-Kid sighed, a sad look creeping upon his beak. "Just when I made a new friend, and now you have to go already. But I understand, you're still searching for something." He added, forcing a bittersweet smile to spread across his beak. Tatl and Tael quickly floated up beside him.

"But he'll come back, won't he? He's got friends here that he can come back to anytime he wants or needs to!" Tale assured him.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean he has to leave _forever!_" Tatl chimed in. She turned to look at the boy, her own mischievous smile plastered across her face. "It's like that creep said, a parting doesn't have to last forever. So, make sure you come back sometime okay? We'll be waiting for you." The four of them all shared a smile as with a final wave, the young man urged his steed onward towards the forest. The air was silent, devoid of sound except for the wind brushing past the foliage of Termina. He tried not to look back, he knew it'd hurt to look back at what he was leaving behind, but he wanted one last happy memory before he returned to his journey. One last happy image to look back on the next time he felt down and lonely, as traveling often left him.

When he turned back towards the town, he saw the three of them there watching him in kind, waving. The townspeople had all retreated back inside already, and celebratory music could be heard from within, leaving just his friends outside. He watched them for a second. Then two. Then two turned into five. With a smile he turned back towards the forest that awaited him and spurred Epona with his heels. It was finally time for him to go.

"Link!" Tatl called out, just as the explosion of a band of fireworks echoed across the empty sky. It made her and her friends jump, but not enough for her to lose focus. With one deep breath she shouted as loud as her little fairly lungs would let her, "Thank you!". With a final heave she softly floated down to Skull-Kids shoulder, her exhaustion finally catching up to her after so long of pushing herself to the limit. Feeling Tael quickly land beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulder as any good brother would, she gave a weary smile. She couldn't even be sure if her former companion had actually heard her, given the distance and the booming of the fireworks from behind them, but she hoped he had. If anybody deserved to hear those words, whether they wanted to or not, she figured it'd be him.

As he passed into the forests leading to the southern swamp and the road that would lead him to Romani and Cremia's ranch, he could feel the urge to cry peak behind his eyes. However, he did not give in to the urge, for he had most certainly heard Tatl cry out, and it was her final words to him that kept his smile from wavering. It only reinforced the reminder that she had left him, that partings were never guaranteed to be forever, and that the length of that parting was entirely dependent on the person.

These words stuck with him as Epona trotted past Romani Ranch, the echoes of the fireworks still plenty audible even from here. They kept the hope alive within him that he would reunite with his friends, old and new, no matter what distance was put between them. It was that very hope that kept his journey alive, that kept him moving forward out into the unknown world of Termina. They weren't the only words to prey upon him however, as the ghostly chuckle of the strange mask salesman seemed to creep upon Link's thoughts like a nighttime chill. He could practically feel the shifty eyes of the salesman upon him, though no matter how hard he looked he could not find a trace of any supernatural merchant.

"Can you be happy?"


End file.
